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Rayudu maiden ton seals easy win for India

Home side establish 2-0 series lead

Ambati Rayudu's maiden international century guided India to a comfortable victory yesterday in the second one-day international against short-notice tourists Sri Lanka.

Rayudu finished 121 not out as the home side sealed a six-wicket success with 33 balls to spare in Ahmedabad, establishing a 2-0 lead with three to play.

For Sri Lanka, drafted in for an unscheduled series due to the cancelled West Indies trip, it already seems to be an exercise in damage limitation.

India, though, are benefitting handsomely from the fixtures, with Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Virat Kohli (49) also finding some good form following a 169-run win in the series opener in which Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane hit centuries.

Sri Lanka, having opted to bat first, batted out their 50 overs but a total of 274 for eight never looked likely to contain a hungry Indian batting card.

Rayudu and Dhawan were in tandem for 20.1 overs and chalked off 122 runs along the way.

Between them they milked an underpowered Sri Lankan bowling attack for all it was worth, Dhawan with seven fours and a six before slog-sweeping Prasanna to deep square leg.

By that point Rayudu already had 51, with four boundaries and two sixes, and he duly climbed into another century stand with Kohli.

This time the pairing was worth 116, at more than seven an over, as frequent bowling changes failed to halt the inevitable.

Rayudu's hundred came from his 101st delivery but Kohli was denied his own lesser landmark when Prasanna had him caught for an eye-catching 49.

Suresh Raina hit his second ball for four and his third for six before Prasanna struck again, leaving him with three for 53.

It was left to Rayudu to finish it two balls later with his 10th four to go with four maximums.

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